on the loose
idiom
: able to move freely : not controlled or held in a prison, cage, etc.
—used especially to describe a dangerous person, animal, or group
The prisoner escaped and is still on the loose.
A killer is on the loose.
An angry mob was on the loose.
Examples of on the loose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Whoever gunned down a young dentist and his wife is still on the loose a week after the grisly killings.
—
Holly Yan, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Rex the wallaby is back home safe after spending more than a day on the loose in Gloucester County, New Jersey, thanks in part to a group of local teenagers who helped capture him near a shopping center.
—Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026
The target bear, however, is still on the loose.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The shooter, as of my writing this, is still on the loose.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
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Holly Yan, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Rex the wallaby is back home safe after spending more than a day on the loose in Gloucester County, New Jersey, thanks in part to a group of local teenagers who helped capture him near a shopping center.
—Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026
The target bear, however, is still on the loose.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The shooter, as of my writing this, is still on the loose.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
Cite this Entry
“On the loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20loose. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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